Swansea City take on Blackburn Rovers this afternoon with potentially the best strike force in the league in Joel Piroe and Michael Obafemi. And they come up against a team who finished eighth last season, and most certainly looked far more of a threat than the swans last time around.
There will be chat and speculation about Joel Piroe for the rest of this month, Swansea City fans know how damaging ‘it will’ be if he is transferred out at this late stage. A big offer come the last few days of the window and Swansea City will be in absolute panic mode. Attempts to replace him then would be virtually impossible. But there’s always a positive, there has to be.
Michael Obafemi is a player who looks pretty much like a settled man after a bumpy start at the swans. He is used to bumpy situations but it’s clear to us he see’s how important he is to the club and to himself regards his professionalism and conduct. A club could come in for him but it would be a risk for them as this would unsettle a player with a history of issues at Swansea and Southampton, and they would be concerned it could easily happen again. Michael is still finding his feet in a way and needs to focus on taking the form of late last season in to this.
Open goal misses considered.
Both twenty million pound rated Piroe and Obafemi will concentrate every managers mind in the championship, and as long as they are a partnership they will be a huge concern. Thirty six goals between them in a season which Michael can only really claim to have started in February is a decent return, but this is now the home opener at the swansea.com and more will be demanded.
On a positive note if the deadly duo do click in to action today it will mean a good start for Russell Martin and Swansea City. The negative of course is the sharks who encircle clubs like the swans looking to snatch away their prized assets. That’s the same across the globe.
Diaz is a wanted man in the Premier League
Stoke born Benjamin Anthony Brereton, who now plays for Chile and prefers to be referred to as Diaz is the real danger man this afternoon for Rovers. Last season he scored twenty two goals the same as Joel Piroe, however four of Diaz’s goals were from the spot, Piroe scored just the one. Mind you Swansea City had an appalling penalty award rate last season, it took a whole calendar year before being awarded a single spot kick. Diaz is also rated at around twenty million pounds by Rovers but he will feel slightly more unsettled as Wolves are very close to firming up a real time offer for him.
With strikers of this quality in show today our prediction is no 0-0 scoreline. And as we saw last weekend in Rotherham it’s all about taking your chances, and remaining composed.
The swans kick off against rovers at 3pm today at the swansea.com stadium.